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Like it or not, this is a unique form of long-form storytelling that builds on over a decade of tentpole franchise filmmaking and dense, interconnected continuity. Black Widow implanting an AI version of Arnim Zola inside Ultron’s circuitry using Hawkeye’s bow, for instance Killmonger donning the fallen Ultron’s armor Zola and Killmonger fighting over the stones. It adds a new contour to played-out moments and dynamics, justifying all these speculative scenarios and building on not just the familiar history of the MCU but the recent history of What If…? specifically. There’s even a redo of that instantly iconic panning shot of the Avengers standing in a circle during the Battle of New York.īut these iconic beats and ideas are also tinged with the new complexity of the Multiverse, the door to which was opened in Loki and doesn’t seem to be closing anytime soon. You’ve seen “Earth’s mightiest heroes all take on a much more powerful single foe while trying to retrieve an object” as an action setup in such movies as Avengers: Endgame, but “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?” has a really good version of it the animation is a joy here, and we get a lot of mileage out of the new versions of these characters, such as Doctor Strange’s corrupted tentacular interior coming out to restrain Ultron while everyone else crushes the Soul Stone, even if his “protection spell” is plot armor made literal. This especially comes together - along with the visuals, sparing no expense as ever - when the team heist Ultron’s Soul Stone and drop all the zombies on his head, including a particularly pissed-off undead Scarlet Witch. Getting the recognizable voice cast together is good value, and it’s fun to see the various heroes play off one another, both in terms of personality and ability. It’s also a way to call back to and build off the events of previous episodes. While this setup kind of betrays the show’s essential premise, it’s a good excuse for everyone to get together and discuss the differences in their various realities. The plan is to locate Ultron, separate him from the Stones, and then destroy them in the Infinity Crusher. The Watcher assembles everyone, along with Depressed Doctor Strange, in a pub, for a briefing about how all their worlds are either under attack or about to be under attack from Ultron, his army of killer robots, and the Infinity Stones. “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath”, the season finale, begins with the Watcher arriving in various places, at various times, “choosing” the heroes we have seen develop in previous episodes: Agent Peggy Carter’s Captain America, T’Challa’s Star-Lord, Gamora, Killmonger, and the immature only-child version of Thor. Just like that, the show’s anthological, speculative underpinnings have been abandoned. Only, in last week’s penultimate episode, he broke his own rule to try and thwart a universe-destroying Ultron. He has to remain impartial and impassive. He can’t determine the outcome of any event. That guy’s whole deal is that he sits around keeping an eye on things but he absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, intervene. This recap of What If…? season 1, episode 9, “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?”, contains spoilers.Īll throughout Marvel’s What If…?, which has rested entirely on the idea of alternate events and infinite possibilities spun off from recognizable moments in the MCU, has maintained one narrative constant: The Watcher. “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?” is an exceedingly clever finale that ties together and pays off an entire season of anthological storytelling.